Adjustable scaffold.



No. 673,968. Patented May l4, l90l.

Y J. C. D. ROSS.

ADJUSTABLE SCAFFOLD.

(Application filed Mar. 16, 1901.

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M J. C..D. RUSS. ADJUSTABLE SCAFI DLD.

(Application filed Mar. 18 1901.)

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lilllllllllllllllfl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS C. D. ROSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE SCAFFOLD.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 673,968, dated May 14, 1901.

Application filed March 16, 1901. Serial No. 51,513. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS O. D. ROSS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Scaffold, of which the following is a specification in its best form now known to me, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which similar figures indicate the same parts throughoutthe several views.

My invention relates to scaffolds forthe use of builders, painters, decorators, and other workmen in and around buildings; and the object of my invention is to provide a scaffold for such use which shall be adjustable in all directions, so that the same apparatus maybe used in places of different heights and widths, thereby doing away with the necessity of building a new scafiold for each place and the necessity of making additions to the scaffold when the workmen desire to work at a higher point.

It also consists in a scaffold for the above purposes which can be easily taken apart and packed for transportation, in one of a construction which -can be easily converted into an adjustable prop-scafiold having many advantages over those heretofore used, and in the details of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Figure 1 is an end view of one of my scaffolds. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, showing one support of a trestle. Fig. 3 is a detail of a latch for looking a tie-rod to the support. Fig. 4 shows the method of detachably securing the extensible upright to the frame support of the trestle. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are respectively end, side, and plan views of a prop-scaffold, in the construction of which a support from the scaifold shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is used.

The principal element of my apparatus is an extensible support, such as is shown in- Fig. 2. This support consists of a frame made of two heavy timbers 12, secured together by iron plates 13, and secured to a base-frame l4,which has on its edge the spikes 15, adapted to prevent slipping. If it is desired, rollers maybe substituted for these pins or spikes. Slidably mounted in the frame between the timbers 12 and the plates 13 is an upright 16. Secured to the upper portion of the upright 16 at 17 is a long rod 18, having its lowerend bent in the form of a hook 19, adapted to pass through holes 20 in the plates 13 and a corresponding hole 21 in the upright 16. If desired, a handle may be secured to this rod 18. By raising the upright 16 until the hole 21 is in line with the hole 20 in any plate 13 and then inserting the hook 19 the upright is secured in the new posit-ion. The upper end of the upright 16 is reinforced by iron plates 22 and has cut in it elongated slots 23 and 24.

In order to form a scadold-trest-le, I take two of the supports and place them in the position shown in Fig. 1. To one of these supports is pivotally attached the tie-rods 25 and 26, having in their outer ends the notches 27. Attached to the sides of the frame of the other support are the plates 29, forming between themselves and the tim bers 12 slots 30,through which rods 25 and 26 pass. In the side of these slots are the projections 31, over which the notches 27 of rods 25 and 26 fit. Pivoted at 32 are late? es 33, adapted to close down on the rods 25 and 26 and lock them in the desired position, as shown in Fig. l. r

Across the tops of the uprights on the supports. is fitted the trestle-top 34, which consists of the beam 35 and the braces 37 and 38. The sides are covered by the flat plates 39. This construction forms pockets inside the pieces 35, 37,"and 38, into which the tops of the uprights 16 enter, as shown in Fig. 1. In the upper portion of the plates 39 are a series of holes 41, 42, and 43, adapted to register with the slot 23, and in the lower portion of the plates are another series of holes 44 to 48, inclusive, adapted to register with the slot 24. The upright 16 is secured in any desired position by bolts 49 and 50, which pass through slots 23 and 24 and some one of the corresponding sets of holes in the plates 39.

In order to make a scaffold for use, the workman puts together and sets up two or more trestles like that shown in Fig. 1, just described, and places across them boards 36 in the usual manner. In doing so the workman varies the angle and the distance between supports, as desired, by placing the bolts 49 and 50 in different sets of holes in the plates 39. When nowit is desired to raise the scaffoldso as to enable the workman to reach higher point, the latches 33 are loosened,

inserted in them, thereby locking the upright 16 in the new position. The latches 33 are now closed upon the rods and 26 and the scafiold is readyfor use.

When the work in a particular place is finished, the workmen remove the boards 36, take out the bolts 49 and 50, and remove the trestle-top 34. The hooks 19 are loosened and the uprights secured in their lowest position in the frame. The latches 33 are then unfastened, so that rods 35 and 36 can be pulled out of slots and the supports separated. All of the component 'parts may now be packed together in a comparatively small space and moved to the new location.

When the space in which the scaifold is to be used is so narrow that a prop-scaffold is required, I take one of the supports of my scaffold and pivot toits upper end at 55 a bracket, such as is shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. This bracket has a triangular top, as shown in Fig.

7, the timber 56 making a broad back to rest against the wall 58 and the timbers 57, 58, and 59 making a solid base, on which planks 60 rest. In the brace 61 of the bracket are holes 62. The pin 63 is adapted to pass 1 through one of these holes 62 and the slot 24:

and secure the bracket and scafiold-support in rigid position.

When the workman desires to raise the scafiold, he first removes the pin 63, then removes hook 19, and raises the upright 16 in the manner heretofore described, the bracket adjusting itself to the new angle of the support by swinging on the pivot 55. The

height of the scaffold may be slightly varied by simplyremoving the pin 63 and then moving the base of the support nearer to or farther away from the base of wall 58. When the adjustment has been made by either of the above-mentioned methods, the workman inserts the pin 63 in a new hole 62, which is now in line with slot 24, and the bracket is locked in the new position. If the place of work is short, the boards may be carried by a single bracket and only one prop used, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 but of course if the space is longer two or more props and brackets may be used and the boards 60 supported upon them. By usinga prop-support of the construction shown and described and a bracket having the broad back 56 adapted to rest against the w'all, I make a prop-scaffold having far more rigidity and stability than heretofore made, while preserving perfect freedom of adjustment.

I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction shown, as these may be varied without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an adjustable scaffold, the combination of a frame-support, an upright slidably mounted in said support, a rod 18 pivotally attached to said upright having a bent end 19 adapted to pass through said upright and through holes in different portions of said support, and means for detachably securing a scaffold-platform to said upright, substantially as described.

2. In an adjustable scaffold, the combination of a frame-support, an upright slidably mounted in said support, a rod 18 pivotally attached to said upright having a bent end 19 adapted to pass through said upright and through holes in different portions of said support, a right-angled bracket, having a broad back 56 adapted to bear against a wall, pivotally attached to the end of said upright, and means for locking said bracket to said upright at difierent angular positions, substantially as described.

3. In an adjustable scaffold, a truss composed of two frame-supports, uprights slidably mounted in said supports, means for securing said uprights in different positions in said frames, a trestle-top 31 detachably secured to the tops of said uprights, means whereby the uprights and attached parts may be secured to said top at difierent angles, and adjustable tie-rods connecting said supports, substantially as described.

4. In an adjustable scafiold, the combination of two frame-supports having uprights Ice 16 slidably mounted therein, a rod 18 pivoted to the upright having its end 19 adapted to secure the lower end of said upright 16 in different positions in the support, a trestletop 34 detachably and adjustably secured to the tops of said uprights 16, slots 30 on the sides of one of said supports, projections 31 in said slots, rods pivotally secured to one of said supports having their ends passing through the slots 30 in the other support, notches 2'7 on said rods adapted to engage said projections 31, and latches 33 adapted to lock said rods in engagement with said projections 31, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

JULIUS O. D. ROSS. 

